Modern mobile technology and communication networks allow for mobile device users to download or stream media content from media content servers to mobile devices. The audio content associated with such media content can be in a multi-channel audio (or sound) format. For example, multi-channel audio formats can be six channel (5.1) surround sound audio format, eight channel (7.1) audio format as well as other multi-channel audio formats. However, many mobile devices do not have the capability of playing back six audio channels, for example, because audio devices have either two built-in speakers or headphones which can reproduce two channels (e.g. “left and right” channels). Network devices or mobile devices can receive audio content in a multi-channel sound format and render the audio content in a binaural audio format to the two-channel audio device. Further, the rendering of the audio content in the binaural audio format can also include an amount of sound externalization to mimic hearing the audio content in the original multi-channel sound format.